The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Elections Committee in the Akyem Oda Constituency, Eastern Region, has said election processes will continue unless the committee authenticates the supposed petition filed to halt it.
According to the Committee, they sighted a message on social media in which they were expected to meet the party Regional Chairman to address issues pertaining to the petition filed against them, which they described as surprising.
In the letter addressed to the Regional Representative, the Regional Chairman noted, “following a petition received from the Constituency Chairman who is also a member of the Polling Station and Electoral Area Committee, I am hereby directing you to halt the process until the issues raised are looked into and resolved”.
In another, March 1, 2022, was scheduled for the meeting involving three other groups of persons: Member of Parliament, Chairpersons of Polling Stations and Constituency Executives.
However, in their response, the Committee said they could not hold back the process because, doing so will impede the progress and distort the whole process.
They explained saying, after processes in the lead up to the elections of the constituency executives, there were no issues until the presentation of vetting results.
The Party Chairman of the constituency who had been part of the vetting process then raised an objection to the presentation and requested that all proceedings cease, for him to personally study and analyse the collated data before the Elections Committee sits to deliberate on it another day.
According to the Elections Committee, it was opposed to the directive of the chairman of the party at the constituency level because, per the authorisation given by the National Chairman of the party, the Committee is established for the “conduct of the polling stations and electoral areas elections in the 386,622 polling stations across the country including Akyem Oda”.
“The Elections Committee is therefore surprised that being the authority in the Constituency in the conduct of the Polling Stations/ Electoral Area Elections, it was not served with the said Petition, but rather had to learn about it from Social Media platforms that alleged that the Party’s Regional Chairman, through a text message, has instructed that all proceedings in the conduct of the Polling Stations/ Electoral Area Elections be stopped for the purported petition to the heard,” they added.
The Committee noted further that, had the said petition been served them formally, they would have duly resolved it.
“Suffice to say, had the alleged Petition been properly served on the Elections Committee, as is the practice, there would have been an established procedure to resolve the supposed impasse.”
There is more in the statement below:
The Akyem Oda constituency Elections Committee supervising the on going Polling Stations Elections has noted with concern, a text message circulating on Social Media platforms, alleged to have been received from the Eastern Regional Chairman to the Regional Representative on the Elections Committee, with a directive to halt the Polling Station/Area Elections owing to the receipt of a purported petition from the Constituency Chairman, who is also a member of the Elections Committee.
The Elections Committee wishes to put on record the chronology of events that have transpired since the commencement of the Polling Station Elections Committee’s work.
- The Regional Representative who is the Secretary to the Party’s Council of Patrons, delivered the forms and initiated the work of the Elections Committee by authorising the sale of the forms within the stipulated period as directed by the NEC.
No issues were encountered with the sale of the forms, unlike what ensued in other Constituencies.
- All Party Members interested in contesting in the Polling Station Elections, obtained the forms and duly submitted the completed forms to the Elections Committee within the mandated period as directed by the NEC.
- The Vetting Rules to be employed during the elections was concurred and approved by the entire Elections Committee Members on the first day of their meeting.
- The vetting results were collated and presented to the Elections Committee by the Secretary, the Research & Elections Officer and the IT Officer of the Constituency in the presence of the Elections Committee Members.
- The Party Chairman of the Constituency who had been part of the vetting process, then raised an objection to the presentation and requested that all proceedings cease, for him to personally study and analyse the collated data before the Elections Committee sits to deliberate on it another day.
The Elections Committee objected to this and continued with the presentation. Whereupon the Party Chairman boycotted the meeting.
- The Polling Stations/ Electoral Area Elections Committees, as confirmed by the Party’s Natonal Chairman is the authorised and mandated Committee etablished for the conduct of the Polling Stations and Electoral Areas Elections in the 38,622 Polling Stations across the country including Akyem Oda.
- The Elections Committee is therefore surprised that being the authority in the Constituency in the conduct of the the Polling Stations/ Electoral Area Elections, it was not served with the said Petition, but rather had to learn about it from Social Media platforms that alleged that the Party’s Regional Chairman, through a text message, has instructed that all proceedings in the conduct of the Polling Stations/ Electoral Area Elections be stopped for the purported pettition to the heard. This the Elections Committee believes is contrary to the Party’s processes and procedures for addressing issues and conflict. Suffice to say, had the alleged Petition been properly served on the Elections Committee, as is the practice, there would have been an established procedure to resolve the supposed impasse.
- It is on record that candidates to this Elections have prepared their party folks for this elections and any discontinuation of the process will disorganise the party base and grass roots and cripple the Party machinery, especially when there has been abuse of process and the supposed petition has not been authenticated by the Elections Committee Members.
- Having regards to the foregoing, we the Elections Committee Members ( less one) with one accord has concurred in agreement to continue with the process of the Elections after we successfully deliberated on the collated data to vet and approve successful canditates.
Long live NPP
Long live Akyem Oda
and
Long live our Mother Ghana!!!!!
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